Cats of the Clans/Cliffnotes
These notes are brief, noting major events and minor events in Cats of the Clans that will be of consequence later. These are intended to be used as a reference for those looking for specific events for re-reading and the book discussions. Three Lost Travelers *Three kits from StarClan have lost their way and end up at the underground river. *A strange tom tells them he won't hurt them, and they can lay down. He will show them the way back to StarClan at daybreak. *Each kit is introduced as the tom identifies them. *Mosskit, Bluestar's kit and Stonefur and Mistyfoot's sister, that died while her mother was taking her to Riverclan. *Adderkit, a WindClan tom-kit named for the snake that killed him. *Blossomkit, a ShadowClan she-kit killed in training under Brokenstar's cruel paw. *The tom promises to tell them about the cats they left behind if they will settle down. *He introduces himself as Rock; the keeper of the world below the one the kits' Clanmates walk, the watcher for more moons than they can dream of, and the seer for all the moons to come. *He tells them to be still and listen as he begins. ThunderClan *Rock begins with ThunderClan, saying that to many it is the Clan of heroes, but he takes no sides, and that all the Clans have their own strengths. *He explains that the ThunderClan hunting crouch, where a cat gathers its strength into its hindquarters for the final leap, is not used by another Clan. *They have always been the fiercest guardians of the warrior code, and that to fight, they must feel it is justified, unlike other Clans. *Here Blossomkit speaks up in defense of her Clan, but Rock shushes her and asks if he mentioned ShadowClan by name. *He speaks of their share of border trouble, of Sunningrocks in the old forest and ShadowClan's border in the new forest. Firestar *Rock tells Adderkit he realizes the ThunderClan leader was a kittypet, but that it makes no difference to him where a kit is first born. *He tells how Firestar has not given the Clans a chance to forget his origins, in the case of bringing Cloudtail and then Daisy into the Clan, and it is no wonder they are suspicious of him bringing loners and kittypets into his Clan. *He asks Mosskit what her mother was thinking, bringing the to-brave, too-curious kit into her Clan, and if she was blinded by the color of his pelt because of the prophecy. *He tells how Firestar scarcely can close his eyes without StarClan murmuring in his ear, and says he has lived up to this burden well. *He says he wishes Firestar a long and peaceful life, then laughs at himself, saying those were empty words from him, who knows how each one of his nine lives are going to end. Bluestar *Rock tells Mosskit that her mother, Bluestar, was a great leader and never wanted to give up her kits. *Rock then tells Mosskit about if Thistleclaw was made the deputy instead of Bluestar, there would've been great bloodshed. *Rock then explains Bluestar's relationship with Firestar and about the prophecy. *Rock then concludes how Bluestar was loyal to her clan to the very end by giving up her ninth life to save ThunderClan; he also says that she spent her last moment making peace with her (Mosskit's) brother and sister. Graystripe & Millie *Rock first tells the kits how Graystripe was Firestar's first friend when he came to join the clans; he adds that he and Firestar share the same "foolish generosity" *Rock wonders if Graystripe has any enemies. He then tells Blossomkit that not even ShadowClan is every cat's enemy. *He then tells them that Graystripe fell in love with Silverstream, a she-cat from RiverClan, and fathered the kits;he tells them Graystripe felt torn, but Graystripe returned when he realized that he belonged in Thunderclan. *Rock then talks about Graystripe's new mate Millie and that ThunderClan doesn't realize how much they owe her; she sacrificed everything she knew to be with him. Sandstorm *Rock asks the kits if Sandstorm will only be remembered as Firestar's mate; he feels she deserves more respect than that. *He comments on how if it wasn't for her, Firestar wouldn't have led the clans to fight Scourge and BloodClan. He adds that she knows him better than he and Spottedleaf. *He says that Sandstorm's courage matched his when they were rebuilding SkyClan. *Rock says that he holds Sandstorm's esteem higher than most cats, and that he hopes Firestar will appreciate her as much as she deserves. Yellowfang *Rock tells the kits that Yellowfang walks the same skys as them, and if she becomes cranky it's their fault for disturbing her. *He also says that her whole life was a quest for loyalty: to the kits she bore in secret, to ShadowClan, and to ThunderClan. *Yellowfang felt that it was her own fault for Brokenstar's murders, so she killed her own son, and avenged the death of Blossomkit and all of the kits forced to train too young. Cinderpelt *Rock explains that StarClan did not mean for Cinderpelt to end up in Tigerstar's trap. *He says that StarClan did not whisper in her ear as close as they have with other medicine cats. *He recalls the fire and tiger prohecy to which Cinderpelt was mistaken but StarClan forgave her. *StarClan gave her one last test: they let her know she would die and let her live with knowledge that Leafpool would leave. *Rock explains how Cinderpelt was reincarnated into one of Sorreltail's kits. Leafpool *Rock says that Leafpool was never destined to be anything but a medicine cat. *He then asks Blossomkit if that was the path she would have followed. *Rock explains the link that StarClan fostered between Squirrelflight and Leafpool. *He says for a while Leafpool kenw what was around every corner. *Rock explains that the one thing Leafpool did not forsee was falling in love with Crowfeather. Squirrelflight *Rock describes Squirrelflight as fire, the exact opposite of her sister, Leafpool. *He admits he would trust Squirrelflight with his life. *Rock tells Blossomkit that even Squirrelflight has secrets. *Rock says by going on the journey to the sun-drown place she proved she had the courage and determination of her parents. *He explains how Stormfur and Ashfur both loved her but Brambleclaw was the only one that could match her fire, not contain it Brambleclaw *Rock explains that Brambleclaw has had to work extra hard to earn the trust of his Clanmates because his father was Tigerstar. *Rock praises Brambleclaw for being such a great leader on the journey to the sun-drown place. *Rock also tells that Tigerstar visited Brambleclaw in his dreams but Brambleclaw eventually realized it wasn't the right thing to do. Ashfur *Rock asks the three kits if the Starclan elders fretted over where his past would lead since had lost Squirrelflight's affection. *Rock says Ashfur is a strong warrior he would want on his side anyday. *Rock says that Ashfur has turned Lionpaw into one of the best fighters in the Clan. *Rock tells the kits that Ashfur is a loyal ThunderClan warrior. Brightheart & Cloudtail *Rock says he has something in common with Brightheart: cats shy away from both of them after they see their face. *He explains that it breaks Brightheart's heart everytime she sees her reflection. *Rock explains that Cloudtail knows what it means to be different, because his mother was a kittypet. *Rock says Cloudtail is loyal and protects his Clan everyday, even if he doesn't believe in StarClan, although the warrior code requires nothing more. Jaypaw, Hollypaw, & Lionpaw *Rock explains how Firestar waited in dread for these kits to be born as they will "have the power of the stars in their paws". *Rock describes Lionpaw as the fighter or warrior. *Rock decribes Hollypaw as the politician or thinker. He reminds the kits that wits can be stronger than claws. *Rock decribes Jaypaw as the blind cat who can see in dreams and has powers unlike any Medicine cat before him. ShadowClan *Rock begins, saying that ShadowClan cats are evil. He quickly tells Blossomkit to put her claws away and tells her he is telling the same stories in nurseries. *Rock says that their territory is the least rich is prey, and wouldn't decline any offer to have more richer prey. *ShadowClan cats are night hunters, since they don't have any ferns or brambles, so darkness is their only cover. *Rock says that ShadowClan cats were the reason for blood-shed in the recent moons. *He says that StarClan may share the other Clans' fear of ShadowClan when they refused to grant Nightstar his lives. Tigerstar *Rock wonders if Tigerstar thinks of himself as ThunderClan or ShadowClan. *Rock notices that the kit claws are scraping the floor at the sound of Tigerstar's name, ad he asks if Tigerstar is used to scare kits even in Starclan. *Rock goes on to list the memrable dead: Redtail, Runningwind, Brindleface, Swiftpaw, Bluestar, Stonefur, and the cats that died in the battle with BloodClan, since he brought Scourge to the forest. *Rock says that Tigerstar prowls the Dark Forest with Hawkfrost, and wonders if he remembers that Hawkfrost is one of the half-Clan cats. *Rock states that Lionpaw shoud be careful, because these cats are not his allies. Brokenstar *Rock assures Blossomkit that Brokenstar cannot hurt her in the cave. *Yellowfang's first mistake was falling in love with Raggedstar. *Yellowfang's second mistake was giving Brokenstar to Lizardstripe to raise, who constantly reminded him that he wasn't welcome in her den. *Brokenstar believed that killing Raggedstar and taking over to become the "greatest leader" would be the only way that he could gain the clan's respect. *Rock lists some of Brokenstar's crimes. *Rock remarks that it is fitting he didn't die a warriors death, but was forced to eat Deathberries by his mother. *Rock says that Yellowfang avenged Blossomkit's death. Blackstar *Rock declares that Shadowclan will have to go through many leaders before cats will see them redeemed. *Rock states that Blackstar has done well, but he doesn't envy him. *Blackstar never harks back to the days where Shadowclan won every battle. *Blackstar has made his clanmates proud once more to be Shadowclan. *Rock reprimands Mosskit for dislikeing Blackstar because he threatens the border with Thunderclan, then says that it is because Shadowclan has once more been given the least prey-rich land again. Tawnypelt *Rock thinks that ThunderClan would be able to hate ShadowClan more if Tawnypelt hadn't joined them. *Tawnypelt wanted to be judged by her own actions, instead of her father's. *Starclan chose Tawnypelt to represent ShadowClan on the journey to find Midnight. *Rock believes that Tawnypelt was chosen to show ThunderClan that she found her true home. *She recognized Crowpaw's strengths before Feathertail did, and Feathertail would have fought much harder to keep from loving Crowfeather if Tawnypelt hadn't encouraged her. *Tawnypelt refuses to listen to Tigerstar. *Rock thinks that Tawnypelt and her kits could help salvage ShadowClan's reputation. Boulder *Boulder was born a BloodClan cat. *Because he disired to impress Tigerstar, Boulder led him to meet Scourge. *Rock states that Boulder was not an evil cat, just a cat who had too much faith in the warrior code. *Boulder's memories of Blood Clan became his nightmares, and he paid a high price for misjudging Scourge. Littlecloud & Runningnose *Rock tells Blossomkit that Runningnose tried so hard to save her life, and that she had been the third kit he had seen die that day. *Runningnose regretted the day he became Yellowfang's apprentice. *As Brokenstar's medicine cat, Runningnose had to interpret omens that promised nothing but victory. *Runningnose also had to keep the secret of Nightstar not recieving his nine lives. *Littlecloud was Runningnose's apprentice. *Littlecloud was inspired and became a medicine cat because of Cinderpelt, because she saved his life when sickness spread through ShadowClan. *Littlecloud never forgot his debt to ThunderClan. WindClan Tallstar *Tallstar killed the snake that bit Adderkit. *Some cats thought that he was too quick to make allegiances with other clans. *Tallstar fought as fiercely as a lion, but preferred not to watch his clanmates die. *Tallstar trusted Fireheart's warning that Bluestar was mistaken, and chose not to go into battle. *Tallstar gave up his ninth life at the end of the Great Journey. *In his last moments, Tallstar made Onewhisker his deputy. *Rock believes that this was a foolish move, as Mudclaw will always have a grudge for Tallstar. Onestar *Rock says that Onestar could tell about the lonliness of power. *He and Fireheart were good friends from the moment that they met. *It was partly thanks to Onewhisker that Tallstar did not fight ThunderClan in 'A Dangerous Path'. *Onestar couldn't lead his Clan and be Firestar's friend, too. *Onestar needed to gain his own clanmates respect, so he had to make WindClan independent. *This was a hard lesson for Onestar, because when he needed his friend the most, he had to walk alone. Mudclaw *Mudclaw was WindClan's most senior warrior, made deputy because Tallstar knew that he needed a deputy ready to fight since he was so peaceful. *Mudclaw's only ambition was to become leader, and Tallstar replacing Mudclaw as deputy with Onewhisker was a betrayal of Mudclaw's loyalty. *Mudclaw sought to take back power, with Hawkfrost as his ally. *Mudclaw was killed by a falling tree. *Rock wants to know if the tree falling was a sign, or just luck. Crowfeather *Crowfeather was the only cat that was chosen by StarClan to journey to find Midnight that wasn't a warrior. *He was the only cat without a friend on the journey. *Crowfeather fought just as hard as the other five cats because he knew that he had the right to hear Midnight's message. *Crowfeather loved Feathertail with a quiet fierceness that nearly split him in two when he saw her die. *Crowfeather chose his warrior name in Feathertail's memory. *When Crowfeather fell in love with Leafpool, Rock wondered if StarClan had forgotten about him or were punishing him for a deed not yet done. *Crowfeather loved Leafpool too much to let her abandon her Clan. Nightcloud & Breezepaw *Rock claims that Nightcloud is not an easy cat to feel sorry for, even though Crowfeather only took her as his mate to prove his loyalty. *Rock says that Nightcloud isn't just protective of her mate and kit, she is jealous and arrogant. *Rock declares that she should remember that of all of Crowfeather's mates, she is the one spared to live by his side. *Breezepaw shares his mother's arrogance. *He has heard the whispers that his father is not loyal, but doesn't know what happened. *Breezepaw is determined not to be disloyal. *Breezepaw is the type of warrior that Onestar needs. *Breezepaw must learn that a battle isn't fair if secrets are hidden in the shadows. Heatherpaw *Rock tells the kits that Heatherpaw sat in the same cave, pretending that she was a part of Darkclan with Lionpaw. *Rock wonders if Heatherpaw believed that the warrior code didn't apply to her, because she met Lionpaw in the tunnels. *Rock says that Heatherpawis guilty of nothing but selfishness. *Some say that she showed courage going into the tunnels to save the WindClan kits, but Rock points out that the kits would never have found the tunnels if she hadn't accidently led them there. *Rock says that the reason they survived because the river spared them. RiverClan Crookedstar *Crookedstar was born when RiverClan was fighting with ThunderClan over Sunningrocks. When he was a kit, he was playing on the rocks with his littermates, but they played too roughly and he broke his jaw when he fell, earning his warrior name. *Rock tells the kits that he knew Mistykit and Stonekit were kits to Bluestar because of their scent, and knew Oakheart was lying with the story about how he found them. *Rock also says that it would be a weakness to ThunderClan if RiverClan launched an attack on them, so he chose to ignore that they were half-clan. *Rock says that Crookedstar's cunning and not wanting RiverClan to be pure-clan made him one of the strongest leaders. Leopardstar *Leopardstar was Crookedstar's deputy. *She shared Crookedstar's pride and ambition, but didn't like half Clan cats. *Leopardstar allied herself with Tigerstar, forming TigerClan. *When she saw Tigerstar's policies, pride kept her from speaking out. *She couldn't admit to her clanmates that she had been wrong. *Leopardstar saved her clanmates by joining LionClan. *If Leopardstar is hostile to the other Clans, it is because she no longer trusts her own judgement. Graypool, Mistyfoot & Stonefur *Rock tells Mosskit that she should be proud of her littermates. *Oakheart knew that Graypool would keep quiet about where the kits came from. *Mistyfoot and Stonefur never questioned that Graypool was their mother because they all had similar colored fur. *Leopardstar made Mistyfoot her deputy. *Mistyfoot and Stonefur mentored Stormfur and Feathertail. *When Tigerstar took control of Tigerclan, Mistyfoot fled across the river to Thunderclan, but Stonefur was killed by Blackfoot and Darkstripe. *Mistyfoot will succeed Leopardstar, making a half clan cat a leader. Silverstream *Silverstream was Crookedstar's only daughter. *Being the daughter of the leader, Silverstream had the respect of the clan before she ever caught a fish. *She was dismayed when she fell in love with Graystripe. *She saved Graystripe because RiverClan cats didn't like dead cats polluting the River. *In the end, Silverstream payed the highest price for letting herself fall in love- she died giving birth to Feathertail and Stormfur. Feathertail *Feathertail was imprisoned in the abandoned fox den when Tigerstar took over. *Feathertail went with Mistyfoot to Thunderclan when Tigerstar took over, but returned to RiverClan after the battle with BloodClan. *Starclan chose Feathertail to go on the quest to find Midnight. *Feathertail was the subject of the Tribe's prophecy as well, and died fullfilling it. Stormfur *Stormfur wasn't going to let Feathertail go on the quest to find Midnight when he almost lost her to Tigerstar, so he went with her. *He saw Feathertail die in the mountains, saving the tribe. *He became Brook's mate, and joined the Tribe of Rushing Water. *Stormfur could not forgive his clanmates for giving him up to Tigerstar. *He was more loyal to the warrior code than to his clanmates, so he was driven out of Riverclan and taken in by ThunderClan. *Soon, the mountains called him back. Hawkfrost *The son of Tigerstar and Sasha. *Sasha brought her kits to RiverClan because she thought they would be safer there than in the wild. *She returned to Hawkfrost and Mothwing when the Twolegs destroyed the forest, but Hawkfrost and mothwing refused to abandon their clan. *Hawkfrost had always wanted to be leader. *He trained harder than any apprentice. *He knew that being Leopardstar's favorite didn't give him his clanmates respect. *He knew that he needed a medicine cat sister to get his clanmates respect, so he made the moth's wing sign. *Hawkfrost listened to Tigerstar, and plotted with Mudclaw, as well as a Thunderclan cat to kill Firestar. *He was killed by Brambleclaw, fullfilling the prophecy 'Before there is peace, blood will spill blood and the lake will run red.' Mothwing & Willowpaw *Mothwing is a medicine cat who doesn't believe in StarClan. *She is allowed to stay because she cares so much about helping her Clanmates. *Hawkfrost threatened to reveal Mothwing's secret unless she made false prophecies. *Mothwing could not recieve signs from StarClan, so Leafpool was told them for her. *Willowpaw was the solution to the problem; StarClan could speak through her instead. *She became Mothwing's apprentice because she had an interest in medicine as a kit. *Willowpaw respects her mentor's lack of belief in Starclan. Cats Outside the Clans Ravenpaw & Barley *Ravenpaw's mentor, Tigerclaw, would never respect Ravenpaw's love of peace and sympathy to both sides of an arguement. *After Ravenpaw saw Tigerclaw kill Redtail, he was in danger from Tigerclaw. *Firepaw took him away to safety, telling him to go live with Barley. *Barley was a loner with a good life on a farm, and Ravenpaw found peace here. *Barley was born in Blood Clan. *When Barley was found living with his sister-which was against BloodClan's rules- he had to watch Violet be beaten up by their other two littermates, Snake and Ice. *Violet survived and became a kittypet, while Barley fled to the farm. Princess & Smudge *Blossomkit doesn't think that the kits need to hear about kittypets, but Rock tells about them anyway. *Rock wanted to know if kittypets really were so bad, simply because they have food, shelter, and let Twolegs pet them. *Smudge was Rusty's nearest neighboor, and came into the forest when he had dreams about SkyClan. *Smudge never understood why Firestar wanted to live in the forest. *Princess is Firestar's littermate, and Cloudtail's mother. *She gave Fireheart Cloudkit to be a warrior, because she thought it was a nobler lifestyle. *Princess was a good friend to Firestar, and still stares out into the forest, wondering if her brother and son are safe. Brook Where Small Fish Swim & Talon of Swooping Eagle *Tribe cats are named after the first thing their mother sees when they are born. *Brook met the Clan cats on their journey to Sun-Drown-Place. *She believed that Stormfur was the chosen cat that would save the tribe from Sharptooth, and fell in love with him. *She grieved for Feathertail when she died. *Talon is Brook's brother. *Talon accepted Stormfur because Brook loved him. Teller of the Pointed Stones *Also called Stoneteller, he is the leader, deputy, and medicine cat of the tribe. *The Healer is always called Stoneteller, because that is what their job is-to interpret the stones. *Stoneteller was a proud cat, desperate to save his Tribe when Sharptooth prowled the mountain that the Tribe had such difficulty living on. *Stoneteller was grateful to Feathertail. *He buried Feathertail above the Waterfall, an honor bestowed on the noblest cave-guard and/or prey-hunter. Cloudstar & Skywatcher *Cloudstar was the leader when Skyclan was driven out of the forest. *Cloudstar lost everything when he left the forest, including his mate and kits. *Cloudstar came to Firestar, asking him to rebuild the lost Skyclan. *Sky was the only cat who knew about Skyclan, and held his own Gathering every full moon. *Sky was thought to be mad, but then Skyclan arose again, and his dreams were fullfilled. Leafdapple, Echosong, & Sharpclaw *Leafdapple became Leafstar, the current leader of Skyclan. *She was originally a kittypet, with the talent for jumping, just like Skyclan cats. *She was wise enough to realize that kittypets were needed to make Skyclan grow. *Echosong was a kittypet who dreamt of Firestar and Sandstorm before they arrived. *She became Skyclan's new medicine cat. *She is a fast learner when it comes to herbs. *Sharpclaw was a rouge named Scratch. *He had the Skyclan ability to jump, and the courage of a warrior. *He is deputy, but he needs to learn peace from Leafstar before becoming leader. Scourge & Bone *Rock tells this story just before dawn. *Scourge was the self appointed leader of Blood Clan. *There was no warrior code in Blood Clan, and they were bound together through fear. *Scourge's greatest strength was his greatest weakness- he didn't believe in the warrior code or in honor. *He had only one life, and took Firestar's first life before Firestar killed him. *Bone was deputy of Blood Clan. *He was killed by a swarm of apprentices after killing Whitestorm. *Rock ends his tales by saying that he liked to remember all of the cats, because they deserved to be remembered. Category:Cliffnotes Category:Cats of the Clans